Boulder's Railroad Quiet Zones: Locations, Timeline

BOULDER, CO — The city of Boulder is getting a little quieter — at least in its railroad quiet zones, which are set to be officially established by the end of the week, officials said.

New infrastructure will allow train engineers to pass through railroad crossings without needing to sound horns, the city said. The engineers will still have the authority to sound the horns during emergencies, however.

The following railroad crossings will be officially established as quiet zones beginning at 7 a.m. Friday:

• 47th Street
• 55th Street (north of Arapahoe Avenue)
• 63rd Street (north of Arapahoe Avenue)
• Pearl Parkway
• Valmont Road (established since 2019)

The city worked with BNSF Railway, which owns the right-of-way at the crossings, to create the quiet zones. The final step in the process was the approval of the new infrastructure at all five crossings by the Federal Railroad Administration and the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.

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The city also partnered with Boulder County to complete a quiet zone at the crossing on 63rd Street at the Diagonal Highway as part of the county’s effort to establish seven quiet zones along SH-119 in December 2020.

Funding to design and construct the zones comes from a $1 million grant from the Denver Regional Council of Governments, as well as a local match of $200,000 from the city of Boulder transportation fund.

>> Learn more about the quiet zones on the city's website.